Eleven months after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has emphasized cooperation with the allies.

The eleven months of "Russia's predatory all-out war" have brought Ukraine, the United States and all other allies together as closely as possible, Zelenskyy said in his daily video address on Monday evening.

His Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba made it clear that he was counting on the delivery of Leopard main battle tanks in the near future.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Zelenskyj: We will overcome this evil

"We fight every day to protect our people, our borders and our values, and we managed to stop the spread of Russian aggression," said Zelenskyy.

He can now say with confidence that "this evil on Ukrainian soil" can be overcome.

"Even though Russia has found a terrorist accomplice in the Iranian regime, which supplies arms to the Kremlin."

Zelenskyj also specified the term he used of a "predatory war".

He didn't choose those words by accident.

"Looting is rampant in the entire territory of Ukraine temporarily occupied by Russian troops," Zelenskyy said.

“Everything they don't destroy, they steal and take to Russia.

Everything.” In addition, around two million Ukrainians were deported to Russia.

After all, Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territories, in violation of international law, is "the completion of its predatory policy."

Kuleba: Are in the final push for Leopard main battle tanks

In the international tug-of-war over the delivery of German-made Leopard battle tanks, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba expected a solution to be found soon.

"There are only a few half steps left," he said on Ukrainian television on Monday evening.

The British have already delivered their main battle tanks, France has offered light wheeled tanks and is considering the delivery of Leclerc main battle tanks.

"I have no doubts that the leopard will also come to us, we are already in the final sprint."

According to Ukraine, it needs "several hundred" main battle tanks for the intended reconquest of the areas occupied by Russia.

"Every tank that is capable of fighting must be on our front today," wrote Presidential Office Chief Andriy Yermak on Monday on the Telegram news channel.

Most recently, Kyiv had received modernized Soviet-style tanks from the Czech Republic.

Great Britain, Poland and Finland offered Kyiv Western tanks, including German-made Leopards.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been delaying a decision on the delivery of the Leopard main battle tanks for weeks.

In the debate about supplying Western-style main battle tanks to Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized NATO's unity and once again called for more arms supplies.

Since the beginning of the war almost a year ago, there has been "an unprecedented level of support" in the alliance, including Germany, Stoltenberg said on Monday on the TV station Welt.

There is now a consultation process on what kind of equipment should be supplied to Ukraine.

"My message is that the Allies must deliver more, must deliver heavier equipment, equipment, combat systems to Ukraine.

And that is absolutely necessary.”

Kyiv: Heavy fighting near Bakhmut and Avdiivka

Russian occupying forces and Ukrainian defenders again fought heavy battles around Bakhmut and Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine on Monday.

The Russian attacks were repelled with heavy losses, the Ukrainian general staff said in Kyiv in the evening.

In order to conquer the entire Donetsk region, the Russian army attacked "regardless of their own losses".

The representation could not initially be independently verified.

The Russian military meanwhile spoke of an intensification of the fighting in the central Zaporizhia region.

After advances by the Russian units in the past few days, a regrouping and repositioning of units on the Ukrainian side has now been observed, the state agency TASS reported.

The head of the notorious Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, thanked his fighters for their efforts in the battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Soledar.

In a video excerpt distributed on Monday, he recalled the past months in the war.

"We now have half a year of war behind us, like neither your grandfathers nor great-grandfathers experienced," said Prigozhin.

Compared to the battles for Soledar, the Red Army's battle for Stalingrad in 1942 against the German Wehrmacht was "more of a vacation".

In response to complaints from Volgograd, as Stalingrad is called today, Prigozhin later declared that he respected the history of his ancestors.

During weeks of bitter fighting for the small town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine, mercenaries from Wagner's troops spearheaded the Russian attacks.

The mercenaries suffered heavy losses in capturing the place.

Prigozhin, a confidante of Russian President Vladimir Putin, had recruited thousands of prisoners for deployment in Ukraine in Russia.

What will be important on Tuesday

The international debate about the possible delivery of heavy battle tanks to Kyiv is entering a new day.